UWEZO UGANDA

POLICY FOR RESOURCE MOBILISATION AND PARTNERSHIPS

[Approved by the Board on 23rd March 2021]

Table of Contents

Uwezo Uganda ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Vision................................................................................................................................................... 3
Mission ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4
The purposes for which Uwezo Uganda needs funding and partnerships ............................................. 4
The dual approach to fundraising ........................................................................................................... 4
The natural constituency for core funding ............................................................................................. 5
Seeking opportunities for additional funding ......................................................................................... 5
Types of partnership and their purposes................................................................................................ 6
The linkage of dissemination and advocacy to fundraising .................................................................... 6
Seeking donations through multiple channels ....................................................................................... 7
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 7

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Uwezo Uganda

Vision
A society in which all children are learning and realising their full potential.

Mission
We are committed to demonstrating how to improve learning outcomes and keeping communities
and leaders focused on learning through assessment, research, innovations, partnerships and
advocacy

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Introduction

As a newly independent organisation, Uwezo Uganda is preparing policies for its major activities.
These policies are not narrowly prescriptive but set out general principles and some practical
considerations that may aid decision making. In this policy document, resource mobilisation (i.e.
fundraising) and partnerships are considered together, as these activities tend to be closely linked.
Relationships with donors involve partnerships that go beyond financial support. Other kinds of
partnerships may serve to strengthen opportunities for joint fundraising or may involve onward
disbursement of funds raised.

The purposes for which Uwezo Uganda needs funding and partnerships

Uwezo Uganda has been established with goals of improving the learning outcomes of basic
education and of reducing the avoidable inequalities in those learning outcomes. We pursue these
goals with a focus on the literacy and numeracy of children and young people, although there is
some scope for us to consider life skills as well. We pursue the goals by means of three kinds of
activity: assessment, research and advocacy.1 Our advocacy is directed to fellow citizens of Uganda
as well as decision makers and education specialists. From our past experience as part of Twaweza
East Africa, we retain a desire to work through civil society and to strengthen its role in the
education sector.

The general profile of our costs needs to be considered. Under the current strategy (2020-23) the
time of our staff is split fairly evenly between the three kinds of activity mentioned above and staff
remuneration accounts for about 41% of the original budget, of just over $3.4 million, for the four-
year strategy. ‘Staff remuneration’ here refers only to the pay of our own staff. Of the projected
non-staff expenditure, assessment accounts for nearly half (46%), while research that is not part of
the assessment accounts for 9%, advocacy for 17% and organisational development for 28%.
Assessment takes a relatively large share because a national assessment project is planned, as well
as a smaller assessment of young people. There is some scope for modifying the size of national
assessments, but the funding of assessments is vitally important. It should be kept in mind that the
assessment work has an important research component, and that the assessment findings help to
shape the research agenda in general.

A large part of the ‘non-staff’ expenditure on assessment consists of allowances paid to the
volunteers that partner organisations provide: an important low-cost input. Our advocacy work
builds on the findings of assessment and research but can also include ad hoc campaigning.

The dual approach to fundraising

The Secretariat of Uwezo Uganda has so far adopted a dual approach to fundraising. The first
element is to maintain core funding that can sustain our staff remuneration and national
assessments at regular intervals. The second element is to seek smaller grants and contracts, of
more limited duration, which can add to the research programme, poster new partnerships and
enlarge our experience. This policy recognises the dual approach as realistic for our situation.

1
Uwezo Uganda, Promoting Equitable Quality Education in East Africa: Uwezo Strategy (2020-23), Kampala:
Uwezo Uganda, 2020.

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The natural constituency for core funding

There is some truth in the idea that ‘every charity has a natural constituency of donors’2. Since
Uwezo Uganda is a non-profit, civil society organisation (CSO), not attached to any economic unit of
production or paid service, its most suitable source of core funding is independent foundations that
share our goals for the improvement of education and the strengthening of civil society. This kind of
funding has in the past allowed us to operate with some degree of independence, responding to our
own priorities as well as those of the donor, monitoring the public provision of education and
advocating change. It is well exemplified by the past funding from the Hewlett Foundation (when
Uwezo was part of Twaweza) and the current funding from the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund.

Other sources that are suitable, to some extent, are United Nations service agencies such as UNICEF
and UNESCO and the foreign aid programmes of high-income countries, whether multilateral or
bilateral. In many cases programmes of intervention supported by foreign aid share some of our
goals and priorities (e.g. improving the efficiency of primary education and supporting the education
of marginalised groups of children). While such sources are very desirable for short- and medium-
term funding, they suffer from instability because of political factors and short-term responses to
emergencies. The political problems are of many kinds. Within Western democracies, budgets for
foreign aid are highly contested and are affected by changes of government. Aid and technical
assistance are used to leverage policy changes that are not always welcome to the recipient
governments. Aid disbursements are sometimes reduced because of perceived abuses of power. All
these factors make reliance on foreign aid unsafe in the long term.

Within Uganda, regular funding from the national government would be hard to obtain and, if it
were obtained, could adversely affect the position of Uwezo Uganda as an independent monitor of a
public service. The Government cannot be a core funder, but possibilities for short-term services will
be mentioned below. In the private sector, too, there is scope for seeking supplementary rather than
core funding.

In building up a funding profile, the idea of ‘matching funds’ is useful, as many donors prefer to
share, rather than uniquely meet, the costs of particular activities. Applications can also be
strengthened by referring to, and costing, the ‘in-kind’ contributions that are received through
voluntary work.3

Seeking opportunities for additional funding

One possible source of additional funding is competitive, international or regional, grants for
assessments, research or the development of civil society. In many cases the scope of the funding
programme and the range of expertise needed calls for application by a consortium or partnership –
and we have gained some experience of taking part in such applications. But, in many of these
competitions, few grants are awarded and the success rate of applications is low. Other
opportunities occur when Uwezo Uganda is invited to provide assessment or monitoring services to
other organisations. Such assignments require adaptability but can provide useful experience as well
as additional income.

2
Charities Aid Foundation (UK), Fundraising Fundamentals, available online:
https://www.cafonline.org/charities/fundraising/fundraising-fundamentals
3
Alice Ruhnke, Grant Writing in 2021: What is Different and What Remains the Same?, presentation at a
webinar hosted by Techsoup, 18th February 2021.

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Another type of engagement that we could seek is paid consultancy work for national government
bodies. We have provided some services to the Government free of charge (as for example in
planning for the Covid-19 emergency). But, as a general rule, we should expect government bodies
to contract for our services when needed and to pay for staff time. In some areas of educational
evaluation and research, Uwezo Uganda could compete effectively at the national level.

With reference to the private sector, small grants or donations could be sought from companies for
specific purposes, especially if we can develop our engagement with the education, training and
employment needs of young people. Findings about these needs can be useful for employers. Rotary
could be a source of advice about this kind of fundraising.

Types of partnership and their purposes

A general distinction can be made between partnerships that involve hierarchical relationships and
those that involve collaboration on equal terms. As a recipient of funding, Uwezo Uganda has to
meet its reporting obligations to donors and to go well beyond these to try to maintain their
support. Regular meetings with them help to develop common objectives and shared attitudes.

Uwezo Uganda in turn engages CSOs with a sub-national focus, usually at the district level, to assist
in assessment and research work. Such contracted services are generally only for short periods, but
we try to share findings constructively and to develop mutual understanding that can lead to further
collaboration. The partnerships with district-level CSOs are important, not only for the assessment
process and the collection of research data, but also for subsequent advocacy.

The possible non-hierarchical partnerships range from collaboration though international networks
to sharing tasks with other national CSOs in Uganda. Uwezo Uganda works with its counterparts
within the People’s Action for Learning (PAL) network to develop improved assessment instruments.
We also work with other CSOs in the Regional Education and Learning Initiative (RELI) to strengthen
school management. There is also potential for collaboration with university academics, within and
outside Uganda, both in using our existing data for research and publication and in joint applications
for new research funding.

The linkage of dissemination and advocacy to fundraising

We already invest significant time and resources in (1) dissemination – communicating our findings
from assessment and research to a wide audience – and (2) advocacy – calling for specific types of
action or policy to improve educational outcomes. To a large extent the advocacy builds on the
recommendations derived from our findings and published in our reports, but ad hoc campaigns are
also possible in response to circumstances. The point to note here is that these findings and our
advocacy products, both digital and other, are important resources for actual and potential donors,
as well as policy makers and the general public. Our relationships with donors benefit when we not
merely report the completion of ‘deliverables’ but can also share key messages about our findings
and the changes to policy and practice that we advocate. A stock of reports, short stories and
informed feedback on our work is also useful for approaching potential new donors.

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Seeking donations through multiple channels

We can consider using both online and offline channels to appeal for donations for particular aspects
of our programme. Such aspects need to be selected with care, so that a tangible achievement can
be demonstrated. The purchase of tablets and sound recorders for use in assessment and research,
for example, could be an objective for small donations. The website, the newsletter and possibly
social media could be used to announce appeals and indicate methods of payment. Such channels
can be supplemented by announcements at meetings with stakeholders if the fundraising objective
is relevant to the purpose of the meeting. However, such announcements need to be discrete and to
avoid presenting a ‘hat-in-hand’ image.

Conclusion

This policy is intended for ‘normal times’ and does not contain any panacea for the kind of financial
crises to which many organisations have been subjected over the past year as a result of the Covid-
19 pandemic. One of the advantages of Uwezo Uganda, however, is that, although newly
independent, it is well established in Uganda as a functioning entity and widely recognised as a
contributor to educational development. We should use these credentials to seek continuing
support as we chart a course through the present stormy weather.